Meatless Monday: Vegetarian bean soup is hearty

Soup makes a wonderful dinner on a winter's night and this one takes about an hour to make.

Many of us canít have a meatless Monday dinner without a bit of plan. But if you have the recipe and ingredients, you can introduce the concept with ease, and maybe even flair.

This week, Iím sharing a recipe I adapted from one shared years ago in the Journalís Chefís Secret column.

This Cannellini Bean Soup is notable for the delicious white kidney beans and the ease. You can whip this up in about an hour. The longest part of the cooking is caramelizing the onions.

Cannellini Bean Soup

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small Spanish onion, diced

1 28-ounce can cannellini beans, or 2 15 ounce cans†

28-30 ounces water†

1 plum tomato, diced

1 28-ounce can tomato sauce, Hunts, Contadina or your own sauce

Pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder†

1 tablespoon vegetable base, such as Better Than Bouillon

Fresh black pepper, up to a tablespoon

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup red wine

Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 cup soup pasta such as small shells or tubettini

Optional: Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, not constantly, until onions are translucent. This will take about 10 minutes. Once the onions start to brown, keep stirring so they don't burn, until they are a beautiful brown and the aroma is intense, about 15-20 minutes.

Drain and rinse the beans. Donít rinse the can but fill it with water and add to the saucepan so there are 28 ounces of water.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring heat up to medium to boil. Then lower heat and let simmer for 7-8 minutes. You don't want the beans to get soggy.

Optional: Add your favorite small pasta to soup, no more than half a cup, before you boil.